chine.
Interest increased and when he announced that he would fly on July 2nd,
1900, all those interested in aeronautics, who could make the trip, came
to Friedrichshafen and for several days before the flight delivered
professional opinions predicting failure.

The First Zeppelin Flight

[PLATE 5: Zeppelin "Deutschland" of the "DELAG", 1910. The
First Passenger Carrying Airship.

Zeppelin "Schwaben" Second Passenger Ship of the "DELAG",
1911.]

They solemnly averred that the airship would bend with the weight of the
gondolas under its ends. They said if it bent, the engines and
steering apparatus would not function. Further, they feared the ship
would keel over in mid-air because, and they backed this assumption with
figures and formulas based on their professional engineering knowledge
and technique, as they pointed out, the center of gravity was too high.
Then again the motors would surely explode the ship because the gondolas
which held them were too close to the body. All expected Zeppelin to
fail, and they were on hand as witnesses when first the big cigar shaped
bag was floated out of its shed (Plate 1).

It was a huge thing in those days, 419.8 feet long (128 meters), with a
diameter of 38.3 feet (11.7 meters). It was made up of an immense
aluminum framework including 24 longitudinal girders running from nose
to tail and drawn together at the ends. Joining the girders were 16
rings, (reinforced with diagonal wires), formed of transverse girders,
which held the body together. On the bottom side of the body was fixed a
bridge-like construction which strengthened the framework sideways and
attached to it were two motor gondolas.

Over this vast framework Zeppelin had stretched an envelope of smooth
cotton cloth, to lessen the friction through the air and to protect the
gas bags from the direct rays of the sun. There were 16 single gas cells
made of rubberized balloon cloth placed inside the framework. All were
equipped with safety valves and several were provided with maneuvering
valves. All together they contained 388,410 cubic feet (11,000 cubic
meters) of hydrogen gas, which Zeppelin was confident would lift 24,450
pounds (12,000 kilograms).

[PLATE 6: Zeppelin "L-1". The First Naval Airship, 1912.

Zeppelin "L-2". The Second Naval Airship, 1913.]

Immediately after the ship had been floated from the hangar Zeppelin
permitted it to rise off the pontoons on which it had rested